February 2012
2 posts
The Lone Star State
The second most populous state in the nation, Texas, entices visitors with the proud claim “It’s like a whole other country!” While women make up half the population of this unique and politically important state, their voices are grossly underrepresented on the political stage. In 2011 Texas ranked 35th in the country in terms of the proportion of women in the state legislature, with women...
Leadership Spotlight: Meet Jenny Le
As a second generation Vietnamese-American, Jenny Le of Houston, Texas, had to strike a balance between growing up in America and assisting her parents in navigating a culture that was foreign to them, but not to her. Today as a Harvard University Government major, Le uses lessons from her childhood in her studies of comparative and international policy, and hopes to create more effective laws...
January 2012
6 posts
Lessons from the Iron Lady
The recently released film The Iron Lady presents Margaret Thatcher, one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, as a headstrong advocate for what she believed. Truly, women in leadership are held to high expectations: They are asked to champion issues effectively, be exceptional communicators, all the while projecting a pleasing image.
As a young woman, I see that we do not...
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Leadership Spotlight: Stephanie Tanny
Stephanie Tanny is a perfect example of why we love our WHP alumnae. As a 25-year-old living in Denver, Colorado, Stephanie Tanny is far from your ordinary young woman. While most women her age after college are jump-starting their careers in the fickle economy, Stephanie is willfully moving forward with her goals of being a catalyst and voice for change in the representation of women.
With the...
"Women in Politics, Women in Public Service" →
“Show me something that is not transformed by the other half of the human race.” — Gloria Steinem
Is “politics” still a dirty word for women? Learn about Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s initiative to change that with the new Women in Public Service Project, together with the Seven Sister Colleges. Remember to post your opinions as a comment below or on our...
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Leadership Spotlight: Catherine Emmanuelle
White House Project alum and native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Catherine Emmanuelle, does it all. She is a board member for a community-based organization, a past and future political candidate in Wisconsin, and a full-time mom. It’s easy to say she has her hands full.
But her busy life doesn’t take away from her political ambitions. Instead, it gives her a particularly unique and crucial...
TWHP in the Media: No Women Running for President... →
Listen to The White House Project’s very own President, Tiffany Dufu, and Iowa State University’s Dianne Bystrom discuss Michele Bachmann’s withdrawal from the race for the Republican nomination and what it means in the context of the future of women in U.S. politics. Make sure to share with us your opinions by commenting below or posting on our Facebook fan page!
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Leadership Spotlight: Katherine Goodman
Katherine Goodman is one of the The White House Project’s great success stories: a former Women Helping Women Win intern (our program that pairs promising young leaders with women legislators), she’ll be starting as a Legislative Aide for Representative Jeanne Labuda on January 11th.
As Rep. Labuda’s 2011 intern, Goodman said it was “an excellent way for me to get a close look at Colorado state...
December 2011
14 posts
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A Call to Immigrant Women
Jenny Choi, Intern
I am a young immigrant woman. Around the third grade, my father decided to move our family to the United States so that he could make use of his American law degree and my sister and I could eventually go to college here. I, like many other young immigrant women living here, carry with me the experience of walking through the airport with my family, pushing a cart of a dozen...
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Leadership Spotlight: Mary Cay Marubio
As a volunteer voter protection lawyer, and a member of host committees for LGBT activists in political campaigns and fundraisers, Mary Cay Marubio is no stranger to politics.
“I love being present at the polling station and advocating for the rights of the voter,” said Mary, “I am always energized when a voter takes on the initiative and refuses to give up their right to vote—defending their...
"Controlling Trillions, Women Drive Charitable... →
“Three out of four individuals in households with incomes of $200,000 or more report women are either the sole decision maker or equal partner in directing their family’s philanthropy, according a new Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey released today.” Check this Reuters report on the increasing importance of women’s “financial clout and moral imagination” for...
"Key to Women's Ascent to Leadership Roles in... →
Check out this piece on Forbes.com where three female powerhouses, Lynn Fantom, CEO and chairman, Interpublic Group’s ID Media, Donna Pedro, chief diversity and inclusion officer, Ogilvy & Mather, and Betty Spence, NAFE president, talk about “what it takes to be a leader, how motherhood can benefit women as leaders, the importance of mentors and sponsors, and why female leadership is...
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Changing Public Education, Changing Lives!
Kathleen Ponze, Guest Blogger
I grew up the daughter of a career army officer and attended fourteen schools before I graduated from high school. Public, parochial, Department of Defense schools, coed…yet an all-girls environment was where I always felt valued and nurtured.
Fast forward almost forty years and I land my dream job: principal of an all girls’ secondary school. But not just any...
Join Shayla Owens at Go Run in Dallas!
As an Education major at Texas Southern University, Shayla Owens is a young leader working to improve public education. Shayla has spent her short college career advocating for social equity in public schools, specifically in Texas.
“In Dallas and Houston we see a great need for change because the school districts are in disarray,” says Owens, “Texas has more students in public...
Leadership Spotlight: Catherine Strode
“The White House Project trainings emphasized the concept that change doesn’t happen in isolation – you have to bring the community with you.”
It’s been two years since Catherine’s first experience with TWHP, and its lessons have stuck with her. Catherine attended TWHP trainings in order to increase her effectiveness in advocacy work. Throughout the years, Catherine has been heavily involved in...
"Women! Seize Your Authority and Trumpet Your... →
“Even though the second highly accomplished woman white collar crime professor had heard about the case I was covering, she also demurred, saying she didn’t believe she had sufficient expertise to comment. She gave me the names of a couple of male colleagues who she believed were better qualified.
Frustrated, I picked up the telephone and called a male criminal defense attorney who had been...
TWHP in the Media: "Morning After" Pill Battle →
Check out TWHP President Tiffany Dufu’s CNN interview about the Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ recent decision against making the contraceptive “morning-after” pill available over the counter without age restriction. Make sure to share your comments and input below!
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How to Fix Congress? Guide Women Through the Front...
Rebecca Liu, Intern
Germany, Brazil, India, Argentina, and Australia—five of the world’s major players—have at least one thing in common: Each has a head-of-state who is female. Why, then, hasn’t the United States been able to elect a female President in its 235 years as a country?
According to a political study conducted by researchers at both...
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Leadership Spotlight: Tracy Lenzini
Tracy Lenzini is knocking on doors and knocking doors down in Kingsley, Michigan. As a strong believer in helping those who help others, Tracy is devoted to motivating citizens to make their voices heard. She understand the daily struggles of families across the country—she’s been living with rheumatoid arthritis for ten years, and has since experienced the devastation of the recession.
But the...
A Call for More Young Women's Involvement in the... →
The movement for more women’s leadership is more focused on the future than it is in the past; the goal is to increase the number of women in leadership, not to lament the lack of women that’s been on the leadership stage in the past. But Erica Dhawan in this article asks, so where are the young women that represent this future? “In order to build a broader women’s...
"Key to Women Entering the C-suite May Just Be a... →
Research from Columbia University, Harvard Business Review, and Catalyst have all shown that having women in senior level positions at companies does make a difference in financial performance and organizational health. But a recent Ernst & Young research paper shows that without male sponsor “heroes,” it is difficult for women to rise up to leadership positions in the corporate...
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Do Not Wait: Using Student Experience to Advance...
Catherine Emmanuelle, Guest Blogger
My parents often tell the story of my bout with community organizing at the age of five, when I convened my fellow siblings around my parents’ bedroom door. With my hand on my hip and my foot tapping:
Knock knock knock. It’s Catherine and the children, and we’re here to talk to you about the rules in this house.
My parents giggled at my requests for...
November 2011
10 posts
Leadership Spotlight: Dafna Michaelson
“When I was 14, I became very disenchanted with the adults around me who would sit around and comment on the way they would handle things in our community or our city,” says Go Run alumna Dafna Michaelson. “They would throw out these ideas that sounded brilliant to me and then they would do nothing. I was very frustrated and did not understand. I made a promise to myself right then and there...
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We Need the 100%
Jenny Choi, Intern
“Hi ladies,” reads my computer screen every Sunday afternoon. The message that I’m writing is to the members of my club, which aims to instill a sense of duty and a call to leadership in young women by opening their eyes to the resources and privileges (especially education) available to them. I haven’t seen a male student at 11:50AM on Mondays for a while, probably ever...
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We Aren't Done Yet
Megan MacInnes
My mother is a great woman. She raised me to believe that I could do anything a man could do except maybe pee standing up, which she assured me was not worth the effort. She raised my brother to believe that he could do anything a woman could do except give birth, but he had best make sure he was holding the mother’s hand if he had anything to do with it. My mother started telling...
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Leadership Spotlight: Dorthea Thomas
Dorthea Thomas has worn many hats in her young political career. Honored in 2010 for the Marcus Garvey NAACP Image Award and elected 1st Vice President of NAACP at Eastern Michigan University, Dorthea has what it takes to be a leader and community activist. She is drawn to changing the nation’s political landscape, investing in her own community and focusing on educating the next generation. She...
"7 Billion Reasons to Empower Women" →
“One of the best ways to ensure that the 7 billionth child born will live in a safe, healthy and sustainable world is to focus on what women want and need.” Check out what Ted Turner, the founder and chairman of the United Nations Foundation, has to say about why the future of the world rests on women’s shoulders.
"Women and Bicycling Means Sustainable Business" →
The logic behind that title?
Women make or influence 80 percent + of buying decisions. (Any thriving corporation today has long since figured this out.)
Your business is not immune to that influence — with women as customers, employees, local community leaders, supplier decision-makers, executives, board members and more.
Your business likely needs a greater cause through which it can...
"Progress for Women, but a Long Way to Go" →
The World Economic Forum’s sixth annual Global Gender Gap Report 2011, released on Tuesday at the organization’s office in New York, ranks the United States at No. 17 for progress made in women’s education, health, economic clout and political empowerment. “[That is] hardly anything to boast about in a country that prides itself on being a leader in women’s rights,” says NYT. Check it...
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Women’s Opportunity with Occupy Wall Street
Rebecca Liu, Intern
In Zucotti Park, the first thing I noticed about Occupy Wall Street was the tremendous number of women involved in demonstrations. Women are everywhere—in colorful head scarves and sunglasses, worn-out jeans and faded army-green jackets. They’re occupying everything from medical supplies stations to food stations, handing out ponchos and organizing boxes of donated goods....
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Leadership Spotlight: Mallory Forseth
After three years in Ecuador, what did Mallory Forseth do upon her return to Colorado? Attend a Go Run, of course!
Now a Program Associate for the Rocky Mountain office of The White House Project, Mallory is pursuing Masters degree in International Development at the University of Denver. She earned her undergraduate degree in International Relations and Spanish and spent time as a bilingual...
October 2011
7 posts
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Finding a Place in the Agricultural Sector as a...
Mara Solberg
After twenty-five years of farming, my husband and I recently retired. We grew mostly small grain crops like wheat and soybeans, but over the years added sheep, chickens, geese, horses and goats, which taught us about the circle of life. What the horses didn’t eat, everyone down to the chickens ate. We lived a good life raising our children and working the land together as a family....
Jenifer Rajkumar: Leader Blazing a New Path for... →
Congratulations to Jenifer Rajkumar, who was recently elected Democratic district leader for the 64th Assembly District, Part C. According to The Villager, she has a nonprofit startup organization called W-SPIN, which aims to catapult women into leadership positions around the world. She sees a citywide event that will bring women out and into organizing community-service projects in the near...
Harvard Business Review: "Four Ways Women Stunt... →
1) Being overly modest.
2) Not asking.
3) Blending in.
4) Remaining silent.
These are the four ways that Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt for the Harvard Business Review say women stunt their growth in their professional lives. Check it out and make sure to share your opinions as a comment or via Facebook and Twitter!
Leadership Spotlight: Beth Osmund
Several years ago Beth Osmund had an idea, took the plunge, and hasn’t looked back since.
A professional skills trainer with a wealth of experience in public speaking, Beth also farmed in Ottawa, Illinois for four years with her husband, Jody. Together, they sold their fruits and vegetables as part of a local CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) program. Then, in 2002, she quit her corporate...
The Second Sex Speaks Up
Lily Alberts
I’m a “give ’em the benefit of the doubt,” “glass half-full” kind of kid. So, last spring I initially wanted to shrug off the results of Princeton University’s Steering Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership report. I thought it was just picking up on the residual impact of centuries of inequality; we were clearly impacted by it, but Princetonians themselves were not...
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Leadership Spotlight: Courtney Rippy Levingston
Courtney Rippy Levingston, a 2009 Denver Go Run alum, is a City Planner for Fort Collins, CO. With an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a masters’ degree in Urban and Regional Planning, she has always been interested in government and serving her community. In her own words, though, getting involved hasn’t always been that easy:
“As a woman in a municipal planning role, I have found...
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What Should We Remember?
Jenny Choi, Intern
A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court. Being the con-law aficionado that I am, I was elated by the opportunity to finally meet and talk with the person that I had only seen in pictures and read about in my textbook. One hundred students filled one of the many portrait-filled sitting rooms of the Court and...
September 2011
20 posts
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Enough About Women, Let's Talk About Great...
Stephanie Rogen (Vice President, Corporate Leadership Programs)
It’s becoming tiresome. Ron Suskind’s controversial book Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President and the follow-up article in the September 20 Washington Post fan the flames of a long-standing battle cry. Women, even at the highest levels of office are intentionally muscled out of...
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Leadership Spotlight: Decontee Sawyer
As a Youth Services Coordinator for the Central MN Sexual Assault Center, and a Founding member of St. Cloud’s Today’s Women, Decontee Sawyer has been a prominent leader and an inspiration for women across Minnesota.
Sawyer first attended Go Run with fellow founding members of Today’s Women, which was launched in 2002 at St. Cloud State University. The organization runs a mentoring program that...
"Equality is Good for Business" →
U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, in her guest op-ed for Democrat and Chronicle, pushes for equal pay, mentoring programs for women in STEM, fair lending programs, and flexible hours and childcare. Check it out!
"Do Polls Understate Support for Women in... →
“After studying more than 200 gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in over 40 states, political scientists Christopher Stout and Reuben Kline concluded that “pre-election polls consistently underestimate support for female candidates when compared to white male candidates.” Are some people reluctant to express their support for a woman candidate in the polls even if they are going...
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The Female Director Substance Problem
Becka Wall, Guest Blogger
Women make up only 7% of all directors in Hollywood, and according to Entertainment Weekly; the top-grossing films directed by a woman are Kung Fu Panda 2, Mamma Mia!, Shrek, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel. Notice a trend?
While some call these successes an occasion to celebrate, I’m being a little more cautious before I whip out my confetti and champagne....
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Leadership Spotlight: Laurie Olmon
From the day that she introduced herself to us at the Minnesota Go Run in 2008, Laurie Olmon has stayed involved with The White House Project as an avid volunteer, mentor, ambassador, donor, and training attendee.
Since then, Laurie has won two elections, lost one, and is planning her next campaign. Committed to further development of her leadership skills, she continues to attend trainings...
Obama Increases Number of Female Judges! →
“Nearly three of every four people [President Obama] has gotten confirmed to the federal bench are women or minorities. He is the first president who hasn’t selected a majority of white males for lifetime judgeships.” Check out this exciting news at the link above!
"Women Entrepreneurs See Progress over 25 Years" →
“When we first launched the center, less than 10 percent of businesses were women-owned. The major issue at that time was credibility, could women be successful business owners. Now, women-owned businesses have enormous credibility and are one of the most important economic engines of our economy today, the largest and fastest growing segment, creating more jobs than any other segment of the...
2011 Denver Go Run in the Media! →
The 2011 Denver Go Run started its weekend with an inspiring speech from Wyoming’s State Representative Cathy Connolly about her path to politics. State Rep. Connolly is one of the few women of Wyoming’s 90-member body and is the sole woman on the joint education committee. Read about her involvement with Go Run here!
Women are problem solvers. Women know about... →
Denver Post Sept 17, 2011 Gay Wyoming lawmaker regales White House Project attendees in Denver
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Step One: Recognizing Privileges
Jenny Choi, Intern
A leading department store made big news a couple of weeks ago when shoppers complained about a t-shirt for their little daughters and nieces to wear, which sported the words: “Too Pretty to Do Homework”. Social media exploded with angry comments and grassroots petitions to take it off the shelves, eventually leading the retail giant to publicly apologize.
The issue blew over...